Standard Lemma guide

napkin

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈnæpˌkɪn/
  • [ˈnæpˌkhɪn]
  • /ˈnæpˌkən/ weak vowel merger
  • [ˈnæpˌkhən] weak vowel merger
  • [ˈnæpˌkhn̩] weak vowel merger
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: N AE1 P K IH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A nappy (UK), a diaper (American).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: South-Africa, UK

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A small scarf worn on the head by Christian women (chiefly Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox) when entering a church, as a token of modesty.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Ellipsis of sanitary napkin.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Philippines, abbreviation, alt-of, dated, ellipsis

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

garment consisting of a folded cloth drawn up between the legs and fastened at the waist; worn by infants to catch excrement

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: diaper, nappy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: garment

6

noun

Meaning 6

a small piece of table linen that is used to wipe the mouth and to cover the lap in order to protect clothing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: table napkin, serviette

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: table linen, napery

Narrower terms: bib, dinner napkin, tea napkin

History

Etymology

From Middle English napkyn, equivalent to nape (“cloth”) + -kin.

Across languages

Translations

153 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: pecetë — serviette
  • Arabic: مَنْدِيل (mandīl) — serviette
  • Arabic: مَنْدِيل مَائِدَة (mandīl māʔida) — serviette
  • Arabic: منديل (mandil) — serviette
  • Arabic: منديل (mandīl) — serviette
  • Arabic: محرمة (máḥrame) — serviette
  • Armenian: անձեռոցիկ (anjeṙocʻik) — serviette
  • Armenian: սալֆետկա (salfetka) — serviette
  • Azerbaijani: salfet — serviette
  • Belarusian: сурвэ́тка (survétka) — serviette
  • Belarusian: сурвэ́та (survéta) — serviette
  • Bengali: ন্যাপকিন (nêpokin) — serviette
  • Bengali: রুমাল (rumal) — serviette
  • Bulgarian: салфе́тка (salfétka) — serviette
  • Burmese: လက်သုတ်ပဝါ (laksutpa.wa) — serviette
  • Catalan: tovalló — serviette
  • Catalan: torcaboques — serviette
  • Chinese Mandarin: 餐巾 (cānjīn) — serviette
  • Chinese Mandarin: 餐巾紙 /餐巾纸 (cānjīnzhǐ) — serviette
  • Czech: ubrousek — serviette
  • Czech: servítek — serviette
  • Danish: serviet — serviette
  • Dutch: servet — serviette
  • Esperanto: buŝtuko — serviette
  • Estonian: salvrätik — serviette
  • Estonian: salvrätt — serviette
  • Estonian: salfrätik — serviette
  • Estonian: salfrätt — serviette
  • Estonian: salfakas — serviette
  • Finnish: lautasliina — serviette
  • Finnish: servetti — serviette
  • Finnish: servietti — serviette
  • French: serviette — serviette
  • Georgian: ხელსახოცი (xelsaxoci) — serviette
  • Georgian: სალფეთქი (salpetki) — serviette
  • German: Serviette — serviette
  • German: Mundtuch — serviette
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌰𐌻𐌹 (aurali) — serviette
  • Ancient Greek: χειρόμακτρον (kheirómaktron) — serviette
  • Hebrew: מַפִּית (mapít) — serviette
  • Hindi: नैपकिन (naipkin) — serviette
  • Hindi: रूमाल (rūmāl) — serviette
  • Hungarian: szalvéta — serviette
  • Hungarian: asztalkendő — serviette
  • Icelandic: servíetta — serviette
  • Icelandic: munnþurrka — serviette
  • Ido: bokotuko — serviette
  • Indonesian: serbet — serviette
  • Italian: tovagliolo — serviette
  • Italian: salvietta — serviette
  • Japanese: ナプキン (napukin) — serviette
  • Kazakh: майлық (mailyq) — serviette
  • Kazakh: сулық (sulyq) — serviette
  • Kazakh: салфетка (salfetka) — serviette
  • Khmer: កន្សែង (kɑɑkɑnsaeng) — serviette
  • Korean: 냅킨 (naepkin) — serviette
  • Northern Kurdish: desmal — serviette
  • Northern Kurdish: destmal — serviette
  • Northern Kurdish: kefîk — serviette
  • Northern Kurdish: paçik — serviette
  • Northern Kurdish: peçete — serviette
  • Kyrgyz: салфетка (salfetka) — serviette
  • Kyrgyz: майлык (maylık) — serviette
  • Kyrgyz: чачык (cacık) — serviette
  • Ladino: pecheta — serviette
  • Ladino: servieta — serviette
  • Ladino: maramán (Monastir) — serviette
  • Lao: ຜ້າເຊັດມື (phā set mư̄) — serviette
  • Lao: ຜ້າເຊັດ (phā set) — serviette
  • Latin: mappa — serviette
  • Latin: mantele — serviette
  • Latin: orarium — serviette
  • Latvian: salvete — serviette
  • Latvian: servjete — serviette
  • Lithuanian: servetėlė — serviette
  • Low German: Serviett — serviette
  • Low German: Munddook — serviette
  • Luxembourgish: Zervéit — serviette
  • Macedonian: салве́та (salvéta) — serviette
  • Macedonian: салфе́тка (salfétka) — serviette
  • Macedonian: салфе́та (salféta) — serviette
  • Malay: serbet — serviette
  • Mongolian: салфетка (salfetka) — serviette
  • Mongolian: алчуур (alčuur) — serviette
  • Mongolian: амны алчуур (amny alčuur) — serviette
  • Mongolian: хоолойвч (xoolojvč) — serviette
  • Norman: sèrviette — serviette
  • Norman: drapé — serviette
  • Norwegian Bokmål: serviett — serviette
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: serviett — serviette
  • Pannonian Rusyn: хусточка (xustočka) — serviette
  • Pannonian Rusyn: салвета (salveta) — serviette
  • Pashto: دستمال (dastmāl) — serviette
  • Pashto: دسمال (dəsmāl) — serviette
  • Pashto: توليا (tawlyā) — serviette
  • Pashto: رومال (romāl) — serviette
  • Pashto: رويمال (rūymāl) — serviette
  • Pennsylvania German: Dellerduch — serviette
  • Iranian Persian: دَسْتْمال (dastmâl) — serviette
  • Iranian Persian: رومال (rumâl) — serviette
  • Iranian Persian: دَسْتْمالِ سُفْرِه (dastmâl-e sofre) — serviette
  • Polish: serwetka — serviette
  • Portuguese: guardanapo — serviette
  • Romanian: șervețel — serviette
  • Russian: салфе́тка (salfétka) — serviette
  • Scottish Gaelic: nèapraig — serviette
  • Scottish Gaelic: nèapaigin — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: салвѐта — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: ру́бац — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: у̀брус — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: убручић — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: убрусац — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: salvèta — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: rúbac — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: ùbrus — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: ubručić — serviette
  • Serbo-Croatian: ubrusac — serviette
  • Slovak: obrúsok — serviette
  • Slovak: servítka — serviette
  • Slovene: prtiček — serviette
  • Spanish: servilleta — serviette
  • Spanish: toballeta (disused) — serviette
  • Spanish: toalleta — serviette
  • Swedish: servett — serviette
  • Tagalog: serbiliyeta — serviette
  • Tajik: салфетка (salfetka) — serviette
  • Tajik: дастмол (dastmol) — serviette
  • Tajik: румол (rumol) — serviette
  • Tajik: рӯймол (rüymol) — serviette
  • Telugu: తువ్వాలు (tuvvālu) — serviette
  • Thai: ผ้าเช็ดปาก (pâa-chét-bpàak) — serviette
  • Turkish: peçete — serviette
  • Ottoman Turkish: پچته (peçeta, peçete) — serviette
  • Ottoman Turkish: دستار (destar) — serviette
  • Turkmen: salfetka — serviette
  • Ukrainian: серве́тка (servétka) — serviette
  • Urdu: نَیپْکِن (naipkin) — serviette
  • Urdu: رُومال (rūmāl) — serviette
  • Urdu: دَسْت مال (dast māl) — serviette
  • Uyghur: سالفېتكا (salfëtka) — serviette
  • Uzbek: salfetka — serviette
  • Uzbek: sochiq — serviette
  • Uzbek: dastmol — serviette
  • Vietnamese: khăn ăn — serviette
  • Welsh: napcyn — serviette
  • Yiddish: סערוועטקע (servetke) — serviette
  • Chinese Mandarin: 圍巾 /围巾 (wéijīn) — scarf
  • Finnish: huivi — scarf
  • Hungarian: sál — scarf
  • Macedonian: шамија (šamija) — scarf
  • Macedonian: марама (marama) — scarf
  • Russian: шарф (šarf) — scarf
  • Russian: шаль (šalʹ) — scarf